Nov 27 , 2025

Daniel Daly's Valor at Belleau Wood and His Two Medals of Honor

Gunfire tore through the night at Belleau Wood. Explosions ripped trees apart and churned up earth soaked in blood. Amid the chaos, a single Marine screamed over the hellstorm, rallying battered men—“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?” Those words weren’t cheap bravado. They came from Sgt. Maj. Daniel Joseph Daly, a Marine whose scars ran deep, whose valor was carved in the crucible of war, twice earning the Medal of Honor—a rare breed forged in fire.

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Early Grit and Unbreakable Spirit

Daniel Joseph Daly was born in Glen Cove, New York, in 1873, a working-class son who learned hard edges early. The streets and factories taught toughness, but the Marine Corps unveiled his true mettle. Enlisting in 1899, he carried with him an iron code: loyalty to brothers, mission first, courage no matter the cost.

Faith anchored Daly’s soul. Not just a warrior, he was a man shaped by scripture and prayer, a warrior-poet who leaned into his convictions. His courage wasn’t reckless. It bore the weight of a deeper purpose—redemption and sacrifice.

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” — John 15:13

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The Boxer Rebellion: Fearless Amid the Fury

Daly’s first Medal of Honor came in 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion in China. The Boxers, fierce nationalist insurgents, besieged foreign legations in Peking. As bullets and fire rained down, Daly’s Marines held the line.

On July 13, amidst the chaos, Daly led a critical counterattack. Under relentless enemy fire, he charged forward, rallying men who faltered under the punishing assault. His citation reads:

“In the presence of the enemy during the battle of Peking, China, 13 July to 17 August 1900, displayed extraordinary heroism.”¹

This was no staged wartime legend. Eyewitnesses recall Daly moving through the blood-soaked streets, calm, fierce, inspiring Marines to hold their ground despite overwhelming odds.

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Belleau Wood: The Crucible of Legends

Fast forward to June 1918. The sun roasts Belleau Wood, near the Marne River in France. The German army presses hard. The Marine Corps is thrown into one of the war’s most brutal clashes. In the choking haze of smoke and sweat, Daly is there. This was his proving ground.

During a night marked by confusion and creeping death, Daly noticed his platoon buckling under machine-gun fire. Without hesitation, he grabbed a rifle, thrown himself into the breach, and waded through enemy fire. His legendary shout:

“Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?”

echoed over the battlefield, a call to arms, a spurring cry that snapped men from despair back into fight.

His second Medal of Honor citation recounts these harrowing acts. It notes his “exceptional courage and leadership” while rescuing wounded and leading men against entrenched positions despite heavy enemy resistance.²

Few remember that Daly was not an officer but a Sergeant Major—the highest enlisted rank, a keeper of morale and discipline, backbone of the Corps.

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Honors and Brotherhood

Daly’s two Medals of Honor place him among a scant few Marines ever so decorated. He also earned two Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, and numerous other decorations. His name is etched indelibly in Marine Corps lore and American military history.

Yet those who served with Daly speak less of medals than the man himself. Captain Lloyd W. Williams said of Daly,

“Among all the legendary warriors, none was a truer Marine than Daniel Daly.”³

Not a man of vanity, Daly’s humility deeper than his combat wounds, always pointing back to the unit, the mission, and unbreakable camaraderie.

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Enduring Legacy: Valor Beyond the Crosshairs

Daly’s story is not just from a bygone era. It is raw truth to those who carry scars unseen, to warriors who stand watch in the shadows today. Courage is neither absence of fear nor reckless abandon. It is fury tempered by faith, sacrifice baptized by loyalty—the sacred price of freedom.

His life teaches a brutal lesson: true valor demands you stare death down for the man beside you, for the flag, for something larger than self. The two-time Medal of Honor recipient didn't seek glory; he lived for redemption—for his brothers in arms, for the promise that the next fight didn’t have to be the last.

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“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” — 2 Timothy 4:7

Daniel Daly’s end was quiet compared to the thunder of battle. Yet his legacy roars—a beacon to those who follow, to civilians who rarely glimpse the cost of war. The Marine Corps lives on in his spirit: unbroken, unyielding, unforgotten.

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Sources

1. U.S. Marine Corps History Division, Medal of Honor Recipients — Boxer Rebellion 2. U.S. Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients — World War I 3. Millett, Allan R., The War for Korea, 1950-1951: They Called It Murder, University Press of Kansas, 2010 (quoting Captain Lloyd W. Williams on Daniel Daly)

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